Many, many thanks for the hamster pix -- it's just been too long! Splotchy is my fave in this crew...the first pic with the mega-stuffed cheeks is too cute but the smooshed- against-the-glass-asleep pic is priceless!

Wow I never really liked hamsters but seeing all of these made me change my mind! It's super funny how they stuff a bunch of stuff into their mouths, and oh gosh Splotchy sleeping against the glass made me laugh my butt off

I had to re-home my beloved 13-year-old frog before I moved here because his species is illegal, even though they abound in some areas of the state. I simply try not to think about my second favourite small rodent, the gerbil. From 1988 to 2006, I never went more than a few years without owning a family of them.

Love, love, love these hammies! I'm seriously thinking of getting a Syrian hamster (when my two senior mousie girls eventually pass on) and will probably PM you to pick your brain re hamster care at that time. Just curious though: have you ever had to trim their nails or does running on the wheel take care of that? Do they prefer the Wodent wheel, the comfort wheel or the silent spinner? Anything need to be removed from, say, the good old Browns Carnival Hamster-Gerbil mix or can they eat everything?

I have to trim my dwarf hammies nails. Most of the time, you don't have too... I must be lucky. I get a good scruff on her, and snip snip! She's little and she scruffs good, so it's not that big of a deal. You can get gentle sandpaper to put in the wodent wheels (which hams love!) but they are kinda annoying to clean. I hate the comfort wheel for the large Syrians, it starts bending from their weight. Our favorites are the wodent wheel, silent spinner, and the Carolina Storm.

It should probably not come as a surprise to find out that most hamster food isn't nutritionally appropriate for hamsters. Hamsters need much higher protein than commercial mixes have. I feel my kids Higgins Sunburst Gourmet Hamster Mix and add Teklad or Mazuri lab blocks (which hams like) to bring up the protein.

With hams, you shouldn't need to pick anything out. Dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes, but you would just get a different base mix that is low in sugar/no fruit/etc for them. Dwarf hammies can still have occasional fruit in their diet but fresh is always best.